Petrochemical Industry Fuels Growth for GCCMs

Chris Kelsey // October 14, 2016

Concrete Canvas Ltd. continues growing. The company introduced its CC HydroTM product to the wider international geosynthetics and geotechnical community last month at EuroGeo 6, the 6th European Conference on Geosynthetics. This follows a year in which the company’s unique barrier solutions were sold into 50+ countries and drew considerable attention from the petrochemical industry.

CC Hydro™, like the original Concrete Canvas® GCCM (Geosynthetic Cementious Concrete Mat), consists of a concrete-impregnated fabric that hardens on hydration to form a fibre-reinforced concrete layer. What makes the new product so different is its chemically resistant, blue geomembrane backing.

The high-visibility color of this backing and its accompanying roll weld strips enhance quality assurance during installation while the concrete-impregnated surface provides an extremely durable, long-term barrier solution. It is precisely the type of ready-made, easy-to-install solution the petrochemical industry seeks. The efficiency of this GCCM barrier reduces site development costs, enables operations to commence sooner, and provides long-term protection.

Furthermore, the CC HydroTM system does not require any top cover, maintains volume capacity, and reduces the life-cycle costs for engineered structures such as containment bunds and lagoons.

Regarding the success Concrete Canvas found with the geosynthetics community at EuroGeo 6 in Slovenia, company director Will Crawford noted: “As well as raising awareness amongst the geosynthetic and scientific community, the show was a great opportunity for Concrete Canvas Ltd to discuss new commercial partnership arrangements with prospective distributors and technical collaborations with academic institutions.”

PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY AND GCCMs

Internationally, Concrete Canvas® materials are growing in adaptation. Mines in Brazil are using it for water storage and related containment applications; Australia’s LNG sector is using GCCMs for surface water management; and many other applications, such as secondary containment and irrigation, are gravitating towards this containment solution in India, the UAE, Italy, the United States, and elsewhere.

The company is not sitting back, though; it is taking its materials on an extensive outreach tour with stops at shows around the world. These exhibit hall and technical presentation appearances include events such as: